Raiders 19, Cowboys 13

The Oakland Raiders held on for a 19-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. RB LaMont Jordan picked up 126 yards on 26 carries and scored a touchdown. WR Randy Moss caught four passes for 123 yards and QB Kerry Collins completed 13 of 23 for 218 yards. But, it was a critical stop by the Raiders defense deep in their own territory that sealed the win for the Silver and Black.

The Cowboys won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. K Sebastian Janikowski's opening kickoff sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. The Cowboys managed two first downs and moved to their own 46 before the Raiders defense forced a punt.

Rookie CB Chris Carr fielded P Mat McBriar's bounding punt and was dropped immediately at the Raiders 9-yard line. After a 5-yard RB LaMont Jordan run, QB Kerry Collins connected with WR Randy Moss for a 79-yard catch and run to the Cowboys 7-yard line. Two plays later the Raiders faced 3rd and goal at the 4. Rookie LB DeMarcus Ware broke through and sacked Collins forcing a field goal attempt. Janikowski capped off the 6-play, 79-yard drive with a successful 30-yard kick, which put the Raiders up 3-0 with 7:22 left in the 1st quarter.

Tyson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dallas 19. After a short RB Julius Jones run, DE Derrick Burgess crashed in from his left end spot and sacked Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe. WR Patrick Crayton could not control Bledsoe's 3rd down pass forcing a punt.

Carr returned McBriar's 38-yard punt 21 yards to the Dallas 36-yard line where the Raiders took over with 5:45 left in the 1st quarter. After Collins was forced to throw the ball away on first down, the Raiders quarterback found TE Courtney Anderson over the middle for 16 yards and a first down at the Dallas 20. Jordan then bulled his way up the middle for 8 yards. Collins was then forced to scramble to the right - Jordan broke open and caught a pass for a first down at the 4. After a 2-yard Jordan run, the Raiders staring tailback cashed in from two yards out. Janikowski's PAT put the Raiders up 10-0 with 3:07 left in the 1st quarter. The TD plunge capped off a 6-play, 36-yard drive which took 2:38 off the clock.

The Cowboys took over at the 20 after Janikowski's kickoff landed in the end zone. Bledsoe's first pass of the drive was incomplete after pressure from Sapp. Jones moved the ball two yards until taken down by Burgess. Bledsoe's 3rd down completion was short of the 1st down. After a McBriar punt and a penalty, the Raiders took over at their own 10.

A 24-yard Jordan run and a 20-yard pass to Moss moved the Raiders into Cowboys territory to the Dallas 42. A 3rd down sack ended the Raiders drive. P Shane Lechler's first punt of the day traveled 44 yards and bounced into the end zone for a touchback.

Bledsoe engineered a drive that moved Dallas to the Raiders 12-yard line before Oakland's defense stiffened. K Jose Cortez cut the Raiders lead to 10-3 with a 29-yard field goal with 5:59 left in the 2nd quarter. The kick capped off an 11-play, 69-yard drive which took 6:32 off the clock.

After Carr returned the ensuing kickoff to the Raiders 37, the Cowboys defense forced a three-and-out. Lechler's 59-yard punt was downed at the Cowboys 1-yard line.

A few plays after getting a first down thanks to a defensive penalty, the Cowboys faced 3rd and 5 at the 13. Bledsoe converted with a pass to TE Jason Whitten for 12 yards. Two plays later, the Cowboys faced 3rd and 11. Bledsoe's pass fell incomplete forcing a punt with 1:20 left in the 2nd quarter.

Carr fielded McBriar's punt at the Raiders 20 and returned it to the 24. An illegal block in the back penalty backed the Raiders up to their own 14. Two Jordan runs over the left side gained a total of four yards. Collins then hit Jordan on a swing pass for a pickup of 6. Lechler came on to punt with :07 left in the half. After a delay of game penalty, the Raiders faced 4th and 6 at their own 18. Lechler's punt was downed at the Cowboys 48. A Hail Mary pass was intercepted at the one-yard line by CB Charles Woodson. The Raiders took a 10-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Cortez's opening kickoff bounced into the end zone for a touchback. Effectively mixing the pass and the run, the Raiders mounted a drive. Jordan and RB Zack Crockett runs, and timely passes to Anderson and Moss moved the Raiders to the Dallas 5-yard line. On 3rd and goal, Collin's pass intended for WR Alvis Whitted was broken up in the end zone. Janikowski's 23-yard field goal put the Raiders up 13-3 with 8:15 left in the 3rd quarter. The successful kick capped off a 13-play, 75 yard-drive which took 6:45 off the clock.

Janikowski's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds. The Cowboys took over at their own 40. The Cowboys moved into Raiders territory until Burgess' second sack of the day brought up 3rd and 14. A penalty on the Raiders made it 3rd and 9 at the Oakland 42. DT Warren Sapp dropped Bledsoe for the sack, but a personal foul on the Raiders gave the Cowboys a first down at the Oakland 32. A wide receiver option pass from WR Keyshawn Johnson for Jones fell incomplete. On 3rd and 6 at the 28, Bledsoe found Whitten for 7 yards and a first down. An apparent 21-yard TD pass to Johnson was wiped when the Cowboys receiver was called for an illegal shift. A Jones' draw play picked up 13 and set up 2nd and 1. Woodson dropped RB Marion Barber for no gain. On 3rd and 1, Jones was stacked up by a host of Raiders tacklers. Cortez came on and a drilled a 30-yard field goal to cut the Raiders lead to 13-6 with 1:05 left in the 3rd quarter. The kick capped off a 13-play, 48-yard drive, which took 7:10 off the clock.

Cortez's ensuing kickoff sailed out of the end zone for a touchback. Thanks to a pair of penalties at inopportune moments, the Cowboys held the Raiders to a three-and-out. Lechler's punt landed out of bounds at the Cowboys 31, where Dallas took over with 13:57 left to play.

Constant pressure and a 13-yard sack by SS Derrick Gibson ended Dallas' next possession. CB Charles Woodson returned McBriar's punt to midfield. Collins then hit WR Jerry Porter for a pickup of 23 yards to the Cowboys 31. Dallas then sacked Collins for a 5-yard loss. A few plays later, Janikowski came on and crushed a 49-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 16-6 with 10:25 left to play.

After Janikowski's kickoff was fielded in the end zone for a touchback, the Cowboys took over at their own 20. A few plays later, Bledsoe connected with Crayton for a 63-yard touchdown to cut the Raiders lead to 16-13.

Again mixing the run and the pass, the Raiders moved into Dallas territory. On 3rd and 4 at the 25, Collins pass was batted down. Janikowski came on and hit from 43 yards out to give the Raiders a 19-13 lead with 4:29 left to play in the game.

Keyed by a 57-yard pass play to WR Terry Glenn, the Cowboys moved into Raiders territory. A four-down stop inside their own 10 gave the Raiders the ball. Oakland took over on downs at their own 5 with 1:43 left to play.

A pair of Jordan runs picked up a first down and forced Dallas to call their final timeout. Two Collins' knee-downs cemented the victory for the Silver and Black.